Draft-gear for railroad-cars.



No. 854,132. PATENTED MAY 2;, 1007.

c. T. WESTLAKB. DRAFT GEAR FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

APPLIOATIOITiLED [11. 11, 1907.

1' UNITED S TRS PATEn-ii o FroR. 1

CHARLES T. WESTLAKE, on ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AssieNoR To TRANsoM DRAFTGEARGQMPANY, on ST. LouisnrssonRi, A oo PoRATioN or DELAWARE;

RAFT-GEAR FOR ammo/fo cas s. T

Patented May 21,.1907I Application filed Mmli 11, 1907. Serial No.selfish h To all whom it may concern: 7 1

Beit known that I, CHARLES T. VEST: LAKE, a citizen of *the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, in the State of MisSourh-have invented-anew and useful Improvement in Draft-Gear for Railroad-Cars, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to draftgearapplied to a railroadcarforward of the truck center, in which case when coupling cars on a curvedifficulty is frequently experienced in inserting the knuckle pins forlooking the engaged knuckles owing to the, ex-

cessive angle of the draw-bars to their nor mal'fcentral position, andmy invention has for'its object to obviate this objection by-reducingthe angle of the draw-bars, within ordinary limits of lateral movement,to the same angle or therea'bout, as if they'were pivoted at the saidcenter.

The invention consists in features of novelty as hereinafter describedand claimed, reference being-had to the accompanying drawing'formingpart of this specification, whereon,

m Figure 1, is atop plan view of the end portion of a metallic carunderframe having my improved draft-gear applied thereto forward of thetruck center; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section-through theunderframe on line 2, 2, in Fig. 1, Showing the draft-gear partly incorresponding section, and partly in side elevation, and Fig. 3, adiagrammatic top plan view showing geometrically the re ative positionof the parts of the draft- 7 gear when the draw-bar is in its normal central position, and when moved laterally to an an le of 5 degrees on oneside thereof.

. ike letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in all thefigures.

a representsthe end portion of a metallic car underframe, comprising themiddle and side longitudinal-sills 1, and 2, respectively,

- broken awa to 'which is fixed the combined double b0 y-b0lster 3 andforward endframe 4, the body-bolster 3 being perforated 5. i A tanceforward of the truck center w,-1s a block centrally at in for thekingebolt of the truck (not shown) in the usual well-known manner.

Riveted preferably, to the underside of the middle longitudinal sills Zat a suitable disbtoiwhichis applied a suitable draft-gear,

State's'were granted to Harry M.

preferably-that" for whichlL'etters Patent of Pflager, January' 'li1906','Number 810,805, foriinprovement in draft-gear for railroad cars,in which front and rear Springsrespecthese arts of the draft-gear isused, except 'that t e block 5 having the vertical web 5 is substitutedfor the bolster and its web, and'a cross-bar c for the inner end of thedraw-bar extension in the said patent, 6, 6 being the front and rearsprings respectively on each side of the longitudinal center line ofthecar, the front springs 6, having their housings 7 at one end inthefrontside of the web 5, and at the other end in the rear face of thecross-bar c, and the rear springs 6.havin their housings 7" at one endin the rear side of the web 5, and at the other end in the inner face ofthe yoke 8 which straddles the springs 6, 6,

and web 5, and is coupled atthe ends totthe cross-bar c.

To the cross-bar c at an equal distance 'on each side of the said centerline,

' is coupled by a in 1.1, one end of a horizon- In the present case asimilar arrangeinent'of The links (1 are preferably arranged so that,when the draw-bar e is in its, normal central position, orin centralalinement with the longitudinal center line .of the car and truck center:13, a line drawn from'each joint 11 and 12 of one link d to thecorresponding .by the-consequent trevel of the. joint pins12 I in thesame: direction along the respective. area described by the links (1about their pivots 11, to assume an angle or position with itslongitudinal center inalinement, orv

thereabout, with the truck center m, instead of the larger angle 'ofdeviation as would be the case if moved laterally-from the block b asitspivotal point without theintervenin'g linked;

What I claim as my invention and'desire to secure-by Letters Patent is:

In a csrdraft-gear having its pivotal ointforward ofthe car truckcenter, the com ination of a spring, a. housing for the spring fixed 'tothe car, a cross-bar adapted to engage one end of the spring, a yokecoupled to the crossbar and adapted to-engegethe other end of IWitnesses:

v, the spring, a, drew-her sp aced apart from the .line offlthe car withthat of the draw-bar when pivoted at the said point forward of thetruck, is reduced to the same angle or the eabout; as if the pivotalpoint of the drawn-bar was alt the truck center, substan .tiallyesdescribed.

CHARLES T. WESTLAKE CI'ARLES W. BI o'oK, EDWARD W. FURRELL.

